Man Of Earth
17
“Doctor Farley!” enthused Dan Ward from his console in Headquarters, “So good of you to come visit us! I wish it were at a less busy time, but -”
The Guard who had brought Doctor Farley in now left him to it, “I’m sorry.” began Doctor Farley.
“Sorry?” said Dan, distracted by the movement on the sensor array before him.
“I said I’m sorry? I should have told you earlier. Will you forgive me?” If Dan could have seen into the Doctor’s eyes, he would have noticed a truth embedded there, a secret he had held on to for quite some time, and was humbled by it.
“What do you need to be sorry for?” asked Dan, still distracted.
“I know - I should say I’ve always known - of a way home.” said the Doctor.
This took Dan’s attention. He called over a Guard to monitor the actions upon his screen and came over to the slumped and despondent Doctor Farley, “A what? A way home? What do you mean?” Dan asked, leading the old man away from the hustle and bustle of the Incident Room to a quiet office, where he offered the old man a seat.
“I mean a way back to Earth. But - it’s not wholly stable, you see?”
“How are you sure?” asked Dan.
“I - I’ve used it often, to collect medical supplies, when my stock is gone. I’m so sorry! I should have told you, but I was - I was scared! I thought you would make me show you! Or you would force me to leave White Haven! You see, I love this place! I don’t want to go back there to live!” The old man began to cry, part out of utter emotion and part out of guilt. Dan comforted the old man while he sobbed. The words were too largely written in the sky above Dan’s head for him to comprehend just yet, so he allowed them to ruminate for a while.
## Some time later, when Susan and the Professor were available, Dan sat them down to discuss what Doctor Farley had told him. Dan had let the old man sleep in his private quarters for now, as he seemed too upset to leave just yet ##
“A way home? Really?” asked Susan Weathers, surprised.
The Professor looked thoughtful, “Even if it’s true, and we have no reason to doubt the old man, I need to state for the record where I stand. I won’t be going. I can see by your faces you’re shocked, but I will explain why. Here, I do a worthwhile job; I help people who need it, my ideas are not stamped on or dismissed as the mutterings of a lunatic - you remember how it was before we came here? How they ridiculed me? No, here I have a value, whereas back on Earth, I would just become an old, tired - perhaps hounded - academic, attempting to teach a group of largely ignorant and unimaginative students about the reality of the Universe. No, my place is here.”
Dan nodded, “Yes, I can see your logic there, Prof. What say you, Susan?”
Susan smiled and grasped Dan’s arm, “I belong wherever you are Dan, you know that?” she smiled. Dan returned the smile, warmly and with love. Just at that moment, a Guard entered the room unannounced.
“Captain Ward? Miss Weathers? Professor? Sigma Dissonance are stepping up their attacks! We just received a message from someone on the Mother Ship that they’ve declared they are moving into what they call the End Game!”
“Right!” declared Dan, “Duty calls for the moment! Let's get back to the Incident Room and see what’s going on, eh?” As one entity, the Earthlings rose from their seats and followed Dan back to the large room with the enormous glass windows.
Word travelled fast in those tough days, and when the action had dropped a little, Rex Canon, Democratic Prime of Sunray City pulled Dan aside for a word, “Look, you must believe me Dan, that if the situations were reversed, I would take the opportunity to return to my home. It’s the logical thing to do, and you know it. No one, and I mean no one, would resent you this chance. Bear that in mind.” said Rex calmly.
Dan gripped Rex by the arm in a friendly gesture, “I will, Rex,” Dan smiled, “I promise.” And no sooner had the conversation finished that a new wave of Sigma Dissonance Fighters forced their way into the present.
#
Some hours later, the onslaught had calmed considerably and Dan had more time to think of what Doctor Farley had told him. He knew he had to see this way home for himself, to assess the situation at the coalface, as it were. So, along with Doctor Farley, they journeyed to the location of the passage back to Earth. And its location was interesting, to say the least.
“I found it one day as I was wandering the streets of Sunray City. It was before the war, you understand, so travelling here and there was of no matter, and no one noticed someone like me walking through their neighbourhood. But one day, it started raining, as I was out on my daily exploration. I had to get to shelter, now that the downpour was quite heavy, and I wasn’t dressed for it. I swear I wouldn’t have seen it, if it were not raining that moment. It was the entrance to some kind of cave structure, obviously built thousands of years ago, and utterly forgotten, because the door took a bit of force to get it open, and when it did, the dust and staleness of the air within nearly choked me. But I slipped in, and that's when I found -” Doctor Farley opened the door to the fairly nondescript building in a quiet part of Sunray City, “- This.”
There was a set of worn stone steps down about thirty feet, and at the end was a crack in the wall - the only way through, it would seem - about six feet high and perhaps three feet wide. Beyond was utter darkness.
“Through there, just on the other side of that fissure in the natural rock, is Earth.” presented Doctor Farley.
Dan simply fell to his knees at the awe of the thing, its simplicity and its majesty all at once. Just one step through there, and he would be home! One tiny stride and all this would be left behind, like a long, bad - though sometimes thrilling - nightmare, that began one day when three Earthlings crash landed in Sunray City, even as the planet was being invaded by a technically superior force. And how they rallied! How they stood strong for their home! Home! It was such a magical word. It held such imaginative endeavours, adventures and the speculative nature of consequences. Dare he do it? Was it right? He had no further time to speculate, however, as he was called back to Headquarters on his personal communicator, because Sigma Dissonance had begun their attacks once more.
#
So it was decided, that once the fighting had calmed down, and Sigma Dissonance were licking their wounds somewhat, the time would be right for the Earthlings to return home - all but the Professor, of course.
It became an emotional farewell, as out came the tears and the hugs. Dan gave Rex his test pilot uniform as a reminder of him, and the people he called friends of White Haven gave him the Raygun he so clearly coveted, in a presentation case, so it wouldn’t look too odd in the backwardly technological Earth. Susan Weathers took a few letters the Professor had written to various friends and family members who would still talk to him back on Earth, so they wouldn’t worry too much about him. Finally, it was time, and the group of well-wishers took the trip to the building that housed the passage back to Earth.
On one side of cavern at the bottom of the stone stairs, Doctor Farley was saying his farewells to the few friends he had accrued in his time on White Haven. Dan turned to Rex and gripped his hand, “Well, this is it, I suppose! We leave you and the people of White Haven better able to look after yourselves, you know! In fact, I’m pretty much surplus to requirements now.” Dan said, sharing a laugh with Rex. Susan couldn’t join in, as she looked too nervous.
“What do you think is waiting for us on the other side of this, Dan?” she asked, holding tight to him.
“I don’t know, Susan. But I’m sure it’ll be adventurous, whatever it is!” he grinned at her, and she eventually relented and joined in with Dan’s ultimate optimism, contagious as it was in his presence.
Doctor Farley had said his goodbyes to his friends and came over to Dan and the others, “Well, looks like it’s time! It’s going to be so much fun, don’t you think? That's it! Smile!” Doctor Farley said with a wink, as he stepped through the gap. There came a fizzling sound as he walked through. Then he was gone. Susan and Dan looked to each other, and not a word was needed to pass between them in that moment.
“It’s now or never!” informed the Professor, looking at the readings on a portable console he had at his feet, “The fissure is beginning to look unstable. I have no idea how long it’ll last!” Dan then gripped the Professor’s arm with a look that said they both understood why each of them was doing this, that Dan was returning, while the Professor was staying, and that each must do what it took for their own personal futures.
“Goodbye, my friend.” said Dan to the Professor, in all sincerity. Dan and Susan then began their goodbyes to all. It was at that moment disaster struck. And it was done.
A completely random shot, it seemed, from a Fighter attacking a Hopper, just above the City, came straight into the building, collapsing it about their heads. Dan screamed at Susan to move away from the fissure that was even now being covered by rocks. The onslaught seemed never ending, until the fissure was completely buried under tons of rock. Perhaps lost forever.
Susan began to cry uncontrollably. Dan pulled her tight into his body, hoping to smother the sadness from her. All he could say were short words of little comfort, but he felt he had to say them anyway, “You know, maybe sometime soon, we will find another way." he soothed. Susan agreed. There was simply nothing more to be done. She straightened herself, wiped the tears away and began looking around for injured people. Dan did what he did best and barked orders at the shocked people, forcing them from their funk, “Alright people! No dawdling! Look for injured! Help me move some of this debris! You! Grab the other end of this! Now, heave!” And so it went on.
When they could grab a second, Dan looked to Susan, and Susan looked to Dan. It would appear to most as something strange, but to them it seemed appropriate. They smiled at each other and got back to work.
Earth would have to wait - at least for a little while.
END
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